Storms may have sounded death knell for cemetery walk this year
Last month's heavy rain- and windstorm may have claimed another casualty.
Besides the 20 or so trees the wind uprooted or broke in Dundee Township Cemetery West, the historical society's Cemetery Walk may be postponed or canceled.
"The cemetery board is concerned with safety," said Marge Edwards, the society's president-elect.
"We don't know if it will be cleaned up in time."
If it isn't, it will be the first time in 15 years a cemetery walk has been canceled.
They have been held in the blazing sun and cold rain. But now, there are too many ruts and broken trees for people to safely walk around the township-owned cemetery.
The walk gives residents a chance to meet actors who portray early area residents who are buried in the graveyard. Some of those people were responsible for shaping home and business life in Dundee Township.
World War I nurse Caroline Steinwart and East Dundee brickyard owner Abram Brinkerhoff were two of the people slated to be portrayed at the Oct. 21 walk.
And for many, their final resting places were in the shade of the 100-year-old oak and evergreen trees that fell onto markers. So far, township crews have found one gravestone that broke when a tree fell on it. No graves were disturbed, through.
"We won't know for a couple of weeks if we can have the walk," Edwards said.
"There's a lot of work that still needs to be done after the storm. Some of those trees were huge."
Slowly, arborists have been cutting up the trees and working around the stones. When they are done, the ground will have to be made level again.
Cleanup will take a long time, said Sue Harney, Dundee Township supervisor. There is a lot of wood to cut up and take away. And when it is gone, employees will be able to turn their attention to the ground.
The Route 31 cemetery is one of two owned by the township. It also owns and maintains Dundee Township Cemetery East in East Dundee, along Route 25.
The West Dundee graveyard is older and holds the remains of most of the township's early residents.
The cemetery walks the historical society sponsors gives residents a chance to "meet" these folks and find out more about life during their time.